Noida District Magistrate Suhas LY, who held an online meeting to discuss Covid readiness, said teams from the health department would be deployed to all three points to test travelers. Police teams will help officers lead the trip, which will continue until further orders are issued.
# The Noida administration deploys the # COVID19 test team to randomly test travelers at the Delhi-Noida border (Pho… https://t.co/Kn0PnLHdah
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“Taking into account the global pandemic, the district administration will take all necessary measures to guarantee the safety of its residents. As part of the precautionary measures, we will conduct random antigen testing at entry points from Delhi. We will also carry out specific samplings among high-risk groups. We had these discussions in a meeting on Tuesday. On Wednesday I will have another meeting with the medical superintendents of all the private hospitals, ”said the DM.
The last time Delhi saw such an increase in cases, the Noida and Ghaziabad administrations had sealed the borders with the capital. The move had upset a large number of travelers when movement restrictions had started to ease in Delhi and offices required their employees to go to work.
On Tuesday, the DM stated that health teams will ensure that traffic is not interrupted while tests are being conducted. “These teams will be parked in such a way that the movement of vehicles is not affected. They will randomly select travelers on bikes and cars and do the test, which only takes 2-3 minutes to show the results, ”he added.
No one would be forced to take the test, Suhas said. “If someone is not interested in getting tested, we will ask for their ID card and pass the details on to the monitoring committees. Our surveillance teams will visit your homes and conduct the tests. I would ask everyone to participate in the campaign and get tested to ensure the safety of their families, “added the DM.
Over time, officers can increase the number of test sites. “The tour can start at any of the three entry points. We will carry out tests at other sites later, ”said Dr. Deepak Ohri, Medical Director.
The idea behind the campaign, Suhas said, was to create a database on the number of people who tested positive. “Once we get the details of the people who tested positive, we can issue a notice to their employers in Noida not to call them at the office. We can also issue a similar notice about screening positive employees, “added the DM.
For residents of other districts who have Covid during the trip, the health department will notify the respective authorities. The DM also said that the health department would make the necessary arrangements for people who test positive while traveling at the borders. A procedural review meeting is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. The health department will also draw up a roster of four teams, with two members each, to conduct random testing. The teams will be assisted by the police during the trip.
Echoing the DM, Additional Police Commissioner (Law & Order) Love Kumar said that the random tests were voluntary. “It is not that each and every one of the vehicles was stopped. A traveler can be chosen at random and asked to give his samples. In case he refuses to do so, the passenger can leave ”, added the officer.
With contributions from Shikha Salaria
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